The Chicago Disability Pride Parade was the first parade to celebrate individuals with disabilities. Now after 10 years it is recognized as the model for the 8 other disability pride parades across the country. The mission of the parade includes the following:
- To change the way people think about and define “disability”;
- To break down and end the internalized shame among people with Disabilities; and
- To promote the belief in society that Disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with Disabilities can take pride.
The ideological rhetoric behind the parade has been described as a militant, however through this methods post I would like to reveal that it is not a forceful movement, but rather a movement of self-disclosure. Above I have linked the marketing video. This video represents how the movement wants to be perceived by the outside world, or those not attending the event.
It begins with a happy gathering of individuals together. Then a young lady says into the microphone “I am disabled and proud!” The video continues with similar stories of individuals who are disclosing their disability. They say that this parade gives them the comfort to embrace and accept their disability. I think this is interesting because often times within the disability community individuals choose to “pass”. One girl states that she has “come out” similar to the phrase that is used for individuals who hide their sexuality. The ideology used throughout the event is celebration. All the people seem happy and excited to be at the event. They are rejoicing in the diversity within their community.
I think it is interesting how the ideals of Disability Pride address the stigmas associated with disability. Often times disability organizations use the “super-crip” rhetoric described by Mossman. This is the dramatization of something a person with a disability has accomplished to the point where they are labeled as a hero. However, this heroism for actions and accomplishments that are not recognized when other people do them heightens the stigma. Instead, Disability Pride erases the stigma and removes labels. They are not two communities; disabled and non-disabled, they are one untied community.
I am intrigued by the ideologies of the Chicago Disability Pride Parade because we used their mission as a model for the Columbus parade. While their parade is much larger in scale I think we projected similar discourse about disability pride. I did find a conflict with my original suggestion that the parade would not be militant. While we were parading around Fred Beekman park the members of our group were shouting “disabled and proud” and “I am proud”. It turned into a chant similar to what soldiers would speak as they marched into battle. From that I was able to piece together how these ideologies were working together within the movement.
The objective of the movement is to create a public community where individuals with disabilities can disclose and feel proud. However, through that disclosure they are choosing a public, forceful forum. This is how the movement becomes militant. It is a constant connection. The ideologies are not hope, inspiration, or heroes, but rather determination, success, and diversity.
